


The Other Weasley

by FollowTheLight (TaleFairy)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-19 08:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaleFairy/pseuds/FollowTheLight
Summary: Charlotte's Weasley status lies only in her name.She's not outgoing, extroverted or a fiery ginger, and she makes sure to remind herself of that every day.When Charlotte was 2-years-old, she was found in the rain by Molly Weasley, who decided to take the little baby as a new member of her family. But, as the years passed, Charlotte didn't develop to be the lovely, popular and friendly girl her sister, Ginny, was. In fact, she's felt like the complete opposite.Fortunately for her, now, Charlotte can see a new beginning for her, a clean slate, a chance of being herself, a chance of making friends: She's finally going to Hogwarts.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9
Collections: Harry Potter Favs, Harry Potter Fic





	1. Adopted

_I can't remember much about that night, for obvious reasons._

_But I have memories of warm brown eyes staring at me, and big arms holding me up._

_I also remember a sweet lady's face and playing with her hair while she took me into her house._

_It was raining outside; my clothes were wet and I was sneezing._

_The woman who found me, Molly, had a long conversation with her husband.  
_

_I remember hearing something along the lines of "where would we even take her?", and the man didn't respond._

_Finally, about two hours later, when I was already dry and enjoying homemade cookies and a hot sippy cup of tea, they came to an agreement, and the woman picked me up on her arms again, muttering words that I will always keep in my heart:_

_"Welcome to our Family."_

_***********************_

"Charlotte, wake up! Mum's calling!" I hear a high pitched voice saying and I groan, rolling my eyes and covering my head with the blankets. "Charlotte, I'm serious!" The voice repeats and I sigh, sitting up on the bed, my curly mess of a hair falling in black waves on my shoulders. Ginny turns red as her hair at the sight of it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She says and then rushes to her wardrobe, starting to get dressed. "But mum's back with our school supplies!" She smiles widely at me and I chuckle at her excitement.

I shake my head as I get up and open the window, smelling the fresh air and looking at the grass outside. Oh, Merlin, how I love this place. I remember playing tag with my brothers when I was younger after grandma was done teaching Ginny and me how to knit. We do this every year, even if I am extremely less gifted in the athletics department.

It is my understatement that Ginny intends to try out for the Quidditch team in her Third or Fourth year, and I have no doubt she'll get in as she is a very talented athlete, and I wonder for the 100th time this week what my future at Hogwarts holds. Of course, first I'd have to survive my First and Second years, which seems unlikely given Ron, couldn't stop telling us about how he met Harry Potter, or, as the papers have been calling him, The Boy who Lived (which, in my opinion, might be the stupidest title ever), and how they almost died during a terrifying Chess Match. Knowing Ron, he was probably exaggerating the details, but, the thing is, Voldemort (or, as we were all taught to say, 'You Know Who', also a dumb title), intended to return from his ashes, and Ron helped Harry end him. So much for a normal education.

I look around the room and spot Ginny almost ready, and that means I have to get ready myself or Mother will ramble about how I shouldn't be so late and that I should behave more like Ginny and yet another lecture would begin. With that thought I get up, rushing to my wardrobe, looking at the small mirror on the door and taking my comb.

The main thing that could differ me from Ginny or the rest of the family (apart from the shade of my skin), is the absolute mess of curls my hair wakes up as, meaning I need to take longer to brush it or it will look like a lion's mane. Mum always says I have beautiful hair, even if it takes a village to care for it, but she can never find a unique word to describe it since its colour is always changing. Perks of being a Metamorphmagus.

As I finally finish with my hair, Ginny sits on her bed, and I can tell she's impatient by the way she plays with her shoelaces. "You can get going if you want to, I'll be down in a minute." I tell her, but she shakes her head.

"I want to open my supplies at the same time as you." She says with a smile and I smile back, knowing she wishes to share these moments with me makes me feel more connected to my sister, which is always nice.

Three minutes and a lot of comments from Ginny later, I'm finally dressed up, and Ginny and I rush downstairs. Sometimes, mum complains about how don't I try Ginny's more "comfortable" outfits, but it always ends up the same way: I'm not the biggest fan of her clothes and I very much don't like how they look on me. Ginny and I grew up in a house full of boys, and yet she seems to be the only one affected by their style choice and the wonder of secondhand clothing. Not that my clothes are new, they're mostly passed down from grandma or mum's sisters, making my wardrobe mostly comprised of skirts and dresses.

As we reach the living room, I can smell the scent of mum's cooking, and I can hear the loud noise coming from the kitchen, my eyes opening widely as I hear a familiar dry, low voice.

"Bill? Bill!" I yell as I see him, rushing through the kitchen and jumping into his open arms. 

When it comes to my siblings, and you can maybe count my cousins in that equation as well, Bill happens to be the one I am closest with, apart from Ginny. In fact, I believe him to be one of the people who understand me the most. I think it's because he always felt like an outsider as well, being the more quiet and "lowkey" member of the family, if you don't count his style.

"Hey, look who's all grown up." He chuckles, messing up my hair. I roll my eyes.

"I just spent forever taming the mane, mate." I say, trying to put my mess of a hair back together, he grins.

"So, are you nervous?" He asks and I shrug.

"Absolutely, but I'm working on it." I smile. "It's hard when you factor in the 'you can die' thing." I chuckle.

"That's not a very Gryffindor attitude." He smirks and I blush.

"Shut up." I shake my head. As if I needed to be reminded of that.

I ignore the increase of my heartbeat as my brain considers the possibility of ending out outside Gryffindor, and sit down near Ginny as mum hands us two big bags, choosing to focus on this nice moment instead.

"1..." Ginny starts.

"2..." I follow.

"3!" We yell.

Then, we both open the bags, smiling at what we find inside. Ginny suddenly wraps her arms around me, the excitement of a child in her eyes. "We're going to Hogwarts!" She smiles. "We're finally going to Hogwarts!" She says and I nod, my throat suddenly feeling dry. 

We're going to Hogwarts.


	2. New Friends... And Beans.

_I could barely sleep at night._

_Partly because Fred, George and Bill were in the room next to ours, and their snoring kept me awake for a couple more hours than necessary._ _But mostly because I couldn't wait to arrive at Hogwarts, I couldn't wait to step into the train, and I couldn't wait to get into Gryffindor, and stop worrying about my parents regretting their decision to take me in - not that they would ever do so._

When the morning arrived, bringing with it birds singing, sheeps balling and the rush inside our house, I was almost falling asleep. Which means that, when Ginny woke up and came up to shake me, I left out a loud groan and fell off the bed.

I feel every single one of my hair locks turn black, and look up at Ginny, who sends me an 'I'm so so so sorry' face. "Don't be sorry, it's okay, I understand how excited you are just... Try not to push me off my bed ever again, please." I say, taking an old black coat that was father's and rushing downstairs with Ginny.

When we reach the kitchen, I can hear a mess of different voices mumbling about things that, to be honest, I don't give a crap about. Sorry, but it's Sunday morning, and all I want to do is sleep. 

"Look who's awake." Bill says, coming to greet me and Ginny. "How'd you sleep?"

"I don't know, but I think you and the twins slept pretty well, huh? I could hear your snoring _all night long_." I say, rubbing my tired eyes.

"Oh, sorry, little one." He chuckles. 

"Honey, why are you wearing this? I told you to throw it away." I hear mum saying and I know she's talking about my coat. 

"Mum, please, not today." I say as I sit down next to Ginny, who's excitingly talking to the twins about Hogwarts.

She sighs and hands me my plate, and I thank her as nicely as I can before shoving some pork sausage in my mouth, trying to follow everyone's conversation, when I hear a name that I'm already pretty familiar with. 

"What did he do this time?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow to Ron. 

"Nothing, but I'm pretty sure he's going to do some bloody stupidity this year." Ron says as he finishes his eggs and I roll my eyes. 

"You should stop judging him so much and try to befriend him, who knows what could happen." I say and everyone looks at me. "I mean, just because he's a Malfoy doesn't mean he's just like his father." I shrug. "It's not right to judge an apple just because a dog peed on the tree."

I hear Fred let out a loud laugh. "It's different when the tree itself is rotten." 

"Yeah, whatever, maybe he really is a prick." I say and start eating again.

An hour later, mum sends everyone to change and I rush upstairs, knowing that if Ginny reaches the bathroom before me she'll be there for the next three hours.

As I enter the room, I grab all I need and rush to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me before walking to the tub and opening the tap, carefully placing my towels on a chair. "Lotte? Are you there?" I hear Ginny asking outside while she knocks desperately on the door.

"Yes. You'll have to wait, Gilly." I say and I hear her groaning, she hates when I call her that. Luckily, she backs off the door, probably going to check if her bags have everything she needs.

When I finish the most relaxing bath of my life, I wrap a towel around my body and another one around my head, then walk outside, finding an impatient Ginny waiting on her bed, her body wrapped on a towel and a scowl on her face. I chuckle. "All yours." I say and she sighs in relief.

"Thank you, see you later." She says and walks into the bathroom, locking the door. 

I avoid taking a long look in the mirror, knowing I won't like what I see. Mum always said I'm too skinny, and part of her life mission was making me gain a few pounds ("looking healthy" is how she puts it) but I always heard from everyone else that skinny is beautiful. Now, however, I understand what she meant. I'm nothing like Ginny, who, at only 11 years of life, seems to be developing at a higher speed than I ever will.

I sigh, first, they tell you to be skinny, because skinny is beautiful, then they tell you that even though you're skinny, you're not beautiful because to be beautiful you need big perfect curves and a tiny waist. Is it possible to be naturally perfect? For Ginny, it seems to be. For all the women in this family, more like it.

I shake my head and rush to my bed, remembering that I left my clothes in the bathroom, which is locked. I walk to the door and knock. "Ginny? Can you hand me my clothes?" I ask her and I hear her snorting. "Oh, please, Ginerva! Do you want me to catch pneumonia out here?" I ask and I hear the door being unlocked, then a wet arm handing me a bag full of clothes. "Cheers, you're the be-" I don't even get to finish, because Ginny shuts the door on my face. 

I shrug and go back to my bed, drying myself slowly before starting to get dressed.

Suddenly, I hear a knock on the door and frown, wrapping my robe around my body before going to answer. I smile as I see Bill. "Hey, there, little one." He says and I smile. 

"Hey." I say. "Do you need anything?" 

"I just want to give you something." He says, handing me a small red velvet bag. "I hope you like it. I didn't want Ginny to get jealous or something so I got her a headband." He chuckles and gives me a sweet kiss on the forehead. "Get dressed." He says before leaving.

I sit on my bed again, opening the golden laces of the bag and turning it upside down. I feel cold silver hitting my hand. When I look at it, I see a silver locket, shaped like a beautiful red heart. Inside, there's a moving picture split in two, showing our family on a trip we took when Ginny and I were about five years old. It automatically brings a smile to my face. 

I get up, walking back to my clothes and quickly dressing up, then heading to the mirror. I put the necklace on and admire it. It looks wonderful, I can't imagine where Bill found something like this; it's so delicate and lovely. I look aside as I hear the bathroom door opening and I smile as I see Ginny, all dressed up in a red shirt, jeans, black shoes and a red headband. Must be the headband Bill was talking about since it has got the Gryffindor blazon on it. I chuckle. "Go Gryffindor." I say and she smiles widely, giggling to herself. 

"You look beautiful... Where is this dress from? It kind of reminds me from that sheet you had, the one that got torn." She says. 

"Maybe because it is. I made it, you like it?" 

She nods and smiles. "It's beautiful. I didn't realise you were so good a seamstress." She chuckles lightly, smiling.

"Just one of the many things I've perfected over the summer." I joke and take my backpack. "I made this too." I show her and her jaw drops.

"I want one!" She says pouting. Please, as if I would deny her anything.

"I'll make you one. But now we should go downstairs or they're going to kill us for being late." I say and she smiles widely.

"We can't miss the train!" She yells grabbing her backpack and rushing downstairs.

As we arrive, I see mum and the others waiting for us, Percy with that constipated look on his face that screams 'you're late', but that soon goes soft as he sees Ginny. I roll my eyes at him, just because I helped the twins to set a prank on him when I was, like, 6-years-old, he now hates me forever. I also notice that he's wearing, again, his Prefect robes, which makes me want to roll my eyes again, because I know that his eyes will be following me everywhere at the castle and that just makes me so angry.

"Charlotte, darling, you look so beautiful." My mother says with a frown. 

"Wow, thanks for saying that I was ugly before." I joke and the twins laugh.

"What, you want her to lie?" They say together and I put my tongue out, tapping their shoulders with a little bit more strenght than necessary. "Wow, watch the violence!" They say and I smirk, winking at them.

"Where's this dress from?" Mum asks with a kind smile, and I know she already knows the answer but Ginny beats me to it.

"She made it! Isn't it fantastic?" She says and I blush, feeling my hair turning dark pink. "Oh, don't be so embarrassed. You're talented." Ginny smiles.

"Shouldn't we be going?" I ask and they all nod. 

"Finally." Percy says, rolling his eyes and I raise an eyebrow. 

"Your 'Prefect Power' only exists when we arrive at Hogwarts, don't forget I can still give you a beating right here, right now." I tell him with my arms crossed and I hear him gasping, while the boys, including dad, try not to laugh. Percy, on the other hand, doesn't seem so happy, and that's why he's the first to use the Floo Powder.

Arriving at King's Cross was easy, the hard part was going through the crowd of muggles. God, they seemed to be everywhere! When we finally had a chance to go through the wall, mum told me to breathe deeply, then run. I do what she said, my eyes closed and my heart beating fast.

Lots of wizards, witches, pets and other creatures were walking from one side to another. Mothers crying because of their kids' first year, the seniors pranking each other, and the magic flying through the air. I look around, waiting for my family, and as soon as everyone arrives, I see Ron talking to two other people. He calls me. 

I walk close to them, smiling as I see a girl with messy hair and a warm smile and a boy that I know to be none other than Harry Potter. I don't actually care much about this whole 'The Boy Who Lived' thing, I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy he's alive and all, but it's kind of annoying living with Ron while he brags about being Best Friends with Harry bloody Potter.

"Guys, this is my younger sister, Charlotte." He says, introducing us. "Charlie, this is Harry Potter." He says proudly. "And that's Hermione Granger. I think you guys will hit it off well since you're both such nerds." He smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Oh, shut your bloody mouth, Ronald." I say and I hear Hermione chuckling.

"I already like you, Charlotte." She says and winks at me, making me smile. 

"I... It's a pleasure to meet you." Harry says, his cheeks suddenly turning red.

I nod, giving him and Hermione a quick handshake. "You too... I'll see you guys later, mum's calling."

"Bye!" Harry smiles widely at me and I give him a smile back, waving as I walk to where the rest of my family awaits.

Mum spends the next ten minutes talking about how we should behave, don't trust objects that speak, always talk to our brothers if we need any help, and saying I should take care of Ginny, who's younger than me. I nod, telling her that our age gap is not really that big, but promising to do what she told me to. She says she'll send us letters to know how everything's going, then she wishes us luck in whatever house we're sorted in. I know that this last sentence is directed to me, after all, Ginny is the perfect Gryffindor. 

"Good Luck, my darlings." She finally says, giving me and Ginny a kiss on the cheek.

"Last call to Hogwarts!" We hear a loud voice saying and I smile, having a reason to sneak out of mum's ribcage-breaking hug.

Ginny rushes to Ron, Harry and Hermione. Harry stops walking to turn around and call me, and I rush to them, happy to be included. Harry pulls me into a hug and I laugh, it's very nice of him to already treat Ginny and I like sisters.

"Sorry, I, huh, like hugging." He says and shrugs. I laugh. 

"She's not a very touchy-feely person." Ginny says and I nod in agreement. 

"Oh... I'm sorry." Harry awkwardly says. 

"Don't be, you didn't know. Just give me a heads up next time." I joke. 

As I wait on the queue, the crowd of kids almost crushing themselves to get into the train, I start looking around and lose myself in thought, not even noticing when I miss Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry.

When I finally look up, a tall man takes my luggage, and validates my ticket, then he smiles and points at the door. He must be around 20, and even though his smile makes me blush, I control my hair from changing. "T-Thank you..." I mutter, mentally face-palming for not knowing how to deal with grown people, he must think I'm an idiot or something. 

As I enter the train, realising I was one of the last ones, I start looking for my brothers, but I soon give up as I find an empty booth, checking twice to see if someone wasn't already there, maybe they left their stuff, but finding it really was empty. I smile to myself, closing the door and holding my backpack close to my chest. I'm sure it'll be easy to find them once we reach Hogwarts, and I genuinely don't mind being alone, for once.

I sit down and grab a book from my backpack, starting to fly through the pages, only to be surprised by someone opening the door. Two chubby boys look down at me, one of them raises his eyebrows as he yells: "Found one!". I frown, was he looking for me?

Soon, a boy walks into the booth, a slight smirk on his lips that I can see falling when he sees me; I blush. "Hi?" I mutter, more like a question than a greeting as he turns to the two boys.

"Okay, I guess I'll take this one." He says and the boys nod, closing the door and leaving us alone. The boy turns to me, he's not that much taller than me, his blonde hair reaches his ears and he has a slender figure, plus he looks like he could be a little bit older than me, maybe a year or two. I try to smile. "I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." He says and I freeze. It wasn't the first time I've heard that name, definitely not, but I was waiting for a troll, and Draco looked, to be very honest, acceptable. "I know I'm handsome, sweetheart, but there's no need for staring." He says and I blush madly, feeling my hair change to light red. I try to change it back, but all I get is a light shade of blue. "Huh." He simply says. "You were beautiful before, but now you look even better." A smile pops onto his lips. I like it, it wasn't stupid like the old smirk. "Aren't you going to tell me your name?" He asks and I nod, realising I was quiet the whole time. 

I try to build my confidence a bit and hand him a pleasant smile while I extend my hand for him to shake. "Uhm, yes. I'm Charlotte. It's nice to finally meet you." I immediately regret my sentence, I should've gone with 'nice to meet you'.

"Finally?" He asks.

"My family, huh, mentioned yours." I say and he nods as if accustomed to hearing that. 

"Do I know your family?" 

I look down, not knowing if I should tell him I'm a Weasley. It's not like I'm embarrassed, but after the horrible things my family said about them, it's clear there would be some kind of animosity between the two of us, maybe he'll stop being nice or he'll leave, and he seems like the kind of person I'd like to have as a friend if I ignore all the names my brothers have called him. "Oh, probably not." I shrug, deciding to tell him later and trying to end the conversation with a smile, and immediately hating myself for maybe inflating his ego.

"What a beautiful smile." He whispers, more to himself; I see his cheeks turning red as he realizes I heard. "Uh... So, you're new, right?" 

"Yes." I smile. "First year." I nod, finally taking a look at his robes; the fact that he's a Slytherin doesn't really surprise me, just another reason to start a fight between my family and his. That, and his dad being the biggest of all arseholes.

"Great, any idea of what house you'll get?" 

"My whole family is Gryffindor, so I'm kind of hoping for the same or..." I leave the sentence unfinished.

"Something wrong?" He frowns, sitting closer to me. I feel a little awkward at the proximity, I've never been so close to a boy who wasn't one of my brothers before, it made me slightly claustrophobic.

"I'm adopted." I tell him. "And since I was a kid I knew I didn't exactly fit in... Sometimes it feels like my parents would be better off without me. Maybe if I go to Gryffindor, they'll like me better." I admit, knowing that maybe it wasn't the best choice to trust someone I just met and whom my family has said a load of shit about in the past, but trying my best not to judge him based on other people's opinions, the words just spill out.

But, instead of laughing, he nods and places his hand on my shoulder, a gesture that shocks both of us. Regardless of the fact, he doesn't take it off, and I feel like he feels way too comfortable in my presence, which makes me nervous of how that's about to change when he finds out who I truly am. "I understand, my whole family went to Slytherin. If it's so important to you, you can whisper in your head to the Sorting Hat that you want Gryffindor, that's what I did, actually." He chuckles. "It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw." He admits, blushing and looking down.

"Ravenclaw? You must be really smart, then." He slightly scatches the back of his neck.

"Well, I wouldn't say really smart, but I try my best." I chuckle at him, before being interrupted by a lady knocking on our booth door. She has a cart full of candy and I recognize most of them because of my brother's compulsion to eat anything and everything. 

"Do you want something, my dears?" She asks and I shake my head. 

"Nothing for me, thanks, I brought it from home." I tell her with a smile, remembering the food my mother packed for me and my brothers. Draco, on the other hand, gets up and smiles at the woman, who seems shocked by the act, but then looks at me and seems to understand something. I frown, does she think he's being nice because of me? If yes, then is he really the horrid person my brother makes him out to be?

No. I can't believe that. I just told him my biggest fear and he didn't do anything but comfort me. Draco walks back in, his hands full of candy. He hands me a part of it. "Oh, no need, I'm fine, thanks." I say with a smile. 

He shakes his head. "I didn't know what you liked so I bought two of everything I like." He admits, his cheeks burning red again. I smile. 

"Y-You didn't have to... I hate when people spend money on me." I blush. 

He smiles. "Don't be silly, here." He says, handing me the sweets. I thank him again, leaning closer to hug him. I can feel his body going stiff for a moment, but he soon hugs me back, his white hair rubbing against my neck.

I put the candy in my backpack. "How did you fit it all in there?" Draco asks, frowning. 

I smile. "Undetectable Expansive Charm. I couldn't perform magic outside the school so I asked one of my older brothers to do it after reading about it in a book."

He smiles widely. "Sure! I forgot about this one. Really smart of you." He says and I blush, muttering a shy 'thank you'. I open my favourite candy, the one I left out of the backpack: Bertie Beans. Draco smiles at me. "That's my favourite too." He says, his hand flying to his candy but I stop him, shaking my head as I offer mine.

"We should share, so it won't end quickly." I say and he blushes. "What?" 

"No one's ever really wanted to share anything with me." He admits. "Not even my parents, actually." He says and I frown, feeling a sting on my heart.

"Really?" I ask and he nods. I take a beans. "Well, there's a first time for everything." I smile. "Open up." He looks at me with an eyebrow raised, then he realizes I was talking about his mouth and chuckles; I place the bean in his mouth. He closes his eyes and starts tasting it. "So?" I ask, a smile on my lips.

"Mashed potatoes." He says and I laugh. 

"Well, it could've been worse!" I say and he nods, taking a bean from the bag.

"Open up." I open my mouth. I start tasting the bean, my eyes closed. "So?" I scrunch my nose. "Is it that bad?" I nod.

"Saliva." I start chuckling as he hands me pumpkin juice. "Thank you." He gives me another bean and I smile at the sweet taste.

"Good one, huh?"

"Red apple, my favourite." He smiles, as if enjoying a personal joke. "Something wrong?"

"Apples are my favourite too, but green ones." He gestures towards his uniform, making me laugh.

"Oh, why wasn't I expecting that?" I shake my head.

The following hours were spent talking about Hogwarts, family, friends and personal favourites. I found out Draco enjoys good old books as much as I do and he's joining the Quidditch team. He invited me to watch his practice and I gladly said yes, excited about watching a team practice one of my favourite sports. Regardless of the stories unfolded and the conversations, I limited myself to vague answers about my family, insisting that I wasn't part of high society, for which he kindly answered: "I seriously doubt that, you look like a princess." But as scared as I was from his judgement, and even more scared that he would think badly of me for lying, I remained silent, and we no longer spoke about our family trees.

But Draco seemed pretty nice, nothing like the despicable baby brat my brothers told me about. I don't think he's stupid and stubborn like his father, and, on the topic of Lucius, I found some horrible things about him from Draco, but he didn't want to go deep into that matter, so I politely dropped it and told him about my love for singing, writing, dancing, and my fears of spiders, heights and drowning. He told me about his love for architecture, literature, potions, and how he wants to be a doctor when he grows up and help people. I smiled as I heard that, and he followed saying that his father would never allow it.

It was amazing talking to Draco, I feel like we can really be good friends.

Maybe Hogwarts is going to be even better than I expected.


	3. Next Stop: Hogwarts!

There was something about Draco that confused me.

He seemed like such a pleasant person, but when it came to friends or his past experiences at Hogwarts, he kept quiet, often telling me that it was none of my business, then immediately apologising.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have asked." 

"No, it's not your fault, it's just..." He sighs. "I'm not a good person, Charlotte. I'm not nice to everyone, I'm not a good friend. I just want my father to be proud of me, you know? And even though I see that he does hurt people from time to time, he's my father, he's the only father I'll ever have." He shyly stares at his hands.

"I don't know your father, Draco. I don't know much about him, but, from what I've heard, it's enough to believe that you shouldn't look up to him like that, and regardless of all of this, I understand... If that's what you want for your life, just know that nearly nothing will make me think poorly of you." I slowly put my hand on his shoulder.

"You'll want to keep that in mind once we arrive at Hogwarts. Ever heard Gryffindors and Slytherins don't get along?" I nod. "Well, my dad's to blame for that. He wasn't exactly polite to Gryffindors back in the day... Or any other houses for that matter." A dry laugh leaves his lips. "Something about knowing that Salazar Slytherin would only pick the best of the best and for that, I quote, 'everyone else is scum'. I guess everyone just expects me to be like him."

"Did you really take Neville Longbottom's remembrall last year?"

He frowns. "How do you know that?"

"It's true, then?"

His eyes look away from mine, focusing on the details of the walls. He keeps quiet for a few seconds before slightly opening his mouth. "Yes... Potter chased me, he ended up catching the damn thing." He stops for a second and looks back at me. "I practised the whole summer, you know? There's no way Potter will catch the snitch this year." He gives me a smile. Not a smirk, a smile from a boy who just wants to win a Quiddich match.

"I never played Quiddich." I admit.

"Never?" 

I shake my head. "Never. I've seen my family playing, but I never had any interest in playing, except that I think it'll make them like me more. I don't think I'd be good at it anyway, I'd probably just fall off the broom." I chuckle. "My sister is really good, actually. She always plays with my brothers and has even tried to teach me in the past, I was thinking about learning this year, might be fun."

"I would be happy to teach you." 

I blush. "Oh, I wouldn't want to cause any inconveniences. You're the one who said all that stuff about Gryffindors and Slytherins."

He shakes his head. "I'm sure we can make it work. We could meet tonight and I could show you some of the basics, what do you think?"

I frown. "What about the curfew? Someone might see us on the Quidditch Field!" 

"Who said anything about the Quiddich Field?" He smirks. "Walk to the Seventh Floor and turn the Left twice. I'll be there waiting for you." 

"We'll meet in the corridor?" I frown. "Won't the Prefects catch us?" 

"Trust me, will you?" There was a brief pause. "You should go change, we'll arrive in about an hour." 

I open my backpack and take my school uniform, thanking Draco in the process. I leave the backpack and tell him I'll be back in a few minutes, and then begin my search for the train's bathroom.

Doesn't take long to find it, especially with the signs indicating it with the lady in a dress and the line of girls walking in and out. I wait for a while until they're all done, then I walk in, finding Hermione changing while trying to read a spellbook. I chuckle. "You don't take breaks, do you?" 

She turns around, surprised. "Charlotte! Ron was actually just talking about you back in the booth, he was worried when we lost you but I knew you would find your way. Are you alone?" 

I bite my lower lip, not sure if I should tell her I was sharing a booth with Draco. "Not actually. I'm sharing it with a friend I made." It's not a complete lie, Draco and I are friends now... I think.

"Really? Who?" 

"Oh, you probably don't know him. He's a first-year too."

"He?" She smirks. 

"It's not like that." I blush, my hair turning bright red, much for her shock and amusement. 

"Apparently it is." She chuckles, leaving the bathroom. 

I sigh, closing the door as she leaves and changing as fast as I can, hoping that no one walks in.

After I finish, I take a long glance at the mirror, then look down at my hand-me-down robes. They used to belong to George, because when he was my age he was small and thin, like me. Fortunately, mother let me do some adjustments, like transforming a few old pieces into dresses. Ginny, of course, is the same size mother was at our age, so her robes are much more feminine than mine, but I managed to convince her to trade some of her skirts and dresses for my pants and shorts, and she gladly accepted as she prefers to practice sports in them. I did save some money from helping our neighbours and intend to buy some fabric to sew myself some dresses, but for now, I'll have to stick to this one.

I walk back to my booth, sometimes glancing at the inside of the booths and seeing lots of people talking, eating and sleeping. As I walk in, my smile fades as I see Draco holding a small red notebook. "What are you doing?" 

He looks up, obviously embarrassed for being caught. "Sorry, I lifted your bag and it fell out. I would've stopped if it was your Diary, don't worry. But this... This is really cool, Charlotte! This Elisa character is very fun, I relate to some of the things she says and I'm not even a girl!" 

I look down. "You really liked it?" 

"I loved it. Can I keep it until I finish reading it?" He asks, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. 

I chuckle. "I can't say no to that face. You're allowed to keep it but when you finish give it back. I'm trusting you, Draco." 

He smiles. "I like it when you say my name." 

"Well, you have a beautiful name." I smile. 

He thanks me, then looks down at my uniform. "You look good. But then again, I'm sure you look good in anything." I smile at his words, thanking him before sitting by his side again. I grab my backpack and put it on my lap, my eyes looking at the window as the train stops.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?"

"It's amazing! I never imagined Hogwarts would be this beautiful." 

"I wasn't talking about Hogw-warts... I didn't mean to stutter, sorry. You kinda make me nervous." He admits.

I chuckle. "Thank you? Plus, I think your stuttering is cute." I wink. "Come on!" 

I'm finally here.


	4. Secrets, Hats and Midnight Meetings

Draco smiles up at me, getting up and grabbing my hand. He gives it a reassuring squeeze before letting go. I hear a slight knock on the door before two boys walk in. I look at Draco, recognizing them as the two boys who found the booth earlier. Draco gives them a head nod. "Charlotte, these are Crabbe and Goyle. Guys, this is Charlotte." The two of them smile at me, the one who I assume is Crabbe also throwing in a light wave.

As we walk out, I engage in a conversation with Draco, Crabbe and Goyle about classes and teachers before I spot the unmistakable ginger hair on the crowd. "Shit." I whisper to myself.

"Something wrong?" Draco asks worriedly, an arm protectively around my shoulder. 

I start opening my mouth, but it is already too late. "Charlotte?" The known voice of my older brother George makes the rest of the family, plus Harry and Hermione, turn to look at us. 

"Out of my way, Weslebee." Draco says aggressively and my throat goes dry, my jaw clenching.

It was true, it was all true. Draco is an asshole, indeed, but... He wasn't like that with me. Because he didn't know who I am, he didn't know who my family is.

"Draco, don't." I touch his hand. "I... I should've told you..." 

"Charlotte, come on, we're gonna miss the boats." I hear Ginny's high pitched voice exclaim, excited, and I cannot help but smile a little.

"How do you know them?" Draco's face turns serious, but I can see a slight disappointment... He connected the dots himself. 

"Draco... I-" I start. 

"She's my sister, Malfoy." Ron says, finally speaking up, his arms crossed as he stares at both of us.

"Is that true?" He asks me, taking his hand away from mine. 

"Yes... yes it is." 

He stares at me, then at my brother; he shifts his sight from me to Ron for a while before his lips twist in an angry form. He doesn't say anything, just walks away. 

I sigh, looking at him as he walks away from me, my small red book on his hands and the promise of a meeting we'll never have. 

"What were you doing with Malfoy, Charlotte?" George asks, his knuckles turning white with the pressure of the fists he was making. 

"Not now, George."

"Yes now! You know how he is, who he is! What the bloody hell were you doing with him?" Ron asks, his face now red with anger, nearly the colour of his hair.

"Ron." Harry gently touches his shoulder. "She obviously doesn't wanna talk."

Ron nods, his anger vanishing as he looks at me. "You should go with Ginny or you'll miss the boats." I nod, kissing his cheek and hugging Harry and Hermione before leaving.

"I'll see you guys at Hogwarts!" I yell, entering one of the boats with Ginny. 

As we sail, I glance at the water, noticing some merpeople swimming happily below us. I feel like I should be having the best feeling in the world, but I'm not. Draco hates me, he'll hate me forever and that's the truth. As if it wasn't enough, my oh so sweet sister had to open her pretty little mouth. "You know you shouldn't talk to Malfoy, you know mum and dad hate him and his family." 

"Well, who mum and dad hate is none of my business is it?" I spit, lashing out at her for no reason whatsoever and immediately regretting.

"Do you know what they said about our family? You didn't go with mum to buy the school supplies for Ron last year but I did. They're evil, they're associated with you know who." 

"You mean Voldemort?" I raise an eyebrow. 

"Don't say his name!" She hisses.

"He's dead, Ginny! He's never coming back! Why would I be scared of a bloody name?!" I say angrily. "Draco is not like his father, you don't know him."

"And you do?" She fires back and I frown. Do I? I thought I did, but then he just turned his back on me like I was nothing. But then again, he showed me who he really was... Or maybe he was just playing me. Maybe he does that with all the girls, maybe I'm just one more silly first grader he toyed with for his amusement. He could be making fun of me to his Slytherin friends this very moment, mocking how easily I trusted him.

I sigh, deciding not to answer Ginny's question and just resting my head on my hands as we finish our journey.

Thankfully, Ginny decides to drop it and starts to focus on making new friends. She sucks at conversations, but fortunately for her, being a petit ginger cutie is enough to make people want to talk to you.

Professor McGonagall is a tall, seemingly middle-aged woman, with a very powerful voice and short patience. She organizes us in a queue. I stand in front of Ginny, because 'Weasley, Charlotte' and 'Weasley, Ginerva'. She starts poking my back, trying to introduce me to her new friends. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not exactly in the mood for meeting new people.

As we start walking, my hair starts changing from brown to blue and from blue to green and from green to purple, what an interesting mix of emotions. The teachers seem to take an interest in it, especially Mrs MacGonagall, who smiles at me as she starts calling everyone's names.

I look down at my shoes, waiting for my name and not daring to look at anyone. 

"Charlotte Weasley." I hear my name coming out of McGonagall's mouth and instantly my legs start moving. I walk up, everyone's eyes on me as I stare at the floor. As I sit down, Mrs McGonagall puts the hat on my head and I close my eyes.

 _Oh, I see._ The Sorting Hat starts speaking inside my head and I almost jump in surprise. 

_Don't you worry, my child. I'm only looking through your mind.  
_

_This is pretty interesting.  
_

_You're adopted, aren't you? How amusing.  
_

_And you have no idea who your parents are.  
_

_You say you don't care, but I know you do.  
_

_Fierce like them.  
_

_Powerful like them.  
_

_Extremely annoying, like them.  
_

_They went to Slytherin, you know?  
_

_But not your foster parents, no.  
_

_They went to Gryffindor.  
_

_What an odd child you are.  
_

_Fearless. Like a Gryffindor.  
_

_Determined. Like a Slytherin.  
_

_Smart. Like a Ravenclaw.  
_

_Kind. Like a Hufflepuff.  
_

_Oh, yes. I see a lot of Weasley in you.  
_

_Also a lot of evil. Anger. Frustration.  
_

_Tell me, kid, where do you think you'll be happy?  
_

_You know what, I don't care. Let's go with the obvious and see what you do after._

And just like that, he yells. 

"GRYFFINDOR!" 

I hear the Gryffindor table going crazy, while the other houses just clap. I can't help but take a look at Draco, sitting with his friends at the Slytherin table. His eyes lock on mine for what it seems like a second, but it's enough for me to know that, now, I lost him. 

I walk to the Gryffindor table, smiling at some kids who greet me as I sit down next to Harry. "Welcome to Gryffindor." He smiles. 

"Thank you." I say, looking down for a second. 

"Everything okay?" Harry asks, with a hand on my shoulder. 

I nod quickly, my hair turning bright red. "Yes, sure. Everything amazing." 

A few seconds later, Ginny joins us in the Gryffindor table, her robes now red and gold like mine. She smiles at Harry and me, but her eyes say that she would rather be sitting next to Harry. 

"So, how do you like the school building so far?" Harry asks, looking at me as I start eating. 

"It's amazing. Everything is so beautiful, much more exciting than the books ever said." His hand brushing against mine as I grab a key lime pie.

"Sorry." He blushes. 

"It's okay." 

"Here." He says, placing the slice of pie on my plate.

I mutter a shy thank you before I start eating.

After we eat, a tall girl and an annoying boy I recognize as my older brother, Percy, walk us through the stairs, muttering some information about Hogwarts I'm too tired to pay attention to and I probably already read in a book somewhere.

As we walk into the Common Room, I finally realise I didn't hear the password, but before I start panicking, Harry chuckles and smiles down at me. "It's Wattlebird." I frown. "The password, Wattlebird. You weren't listening, were you?" I blush, embarrassed. "It's okay, I barely listened too, Hermione told me. She pretty much knows everything."

"Not everything, Harry. Just what matters." Hermione says, smiling down at me. "Hey, Charlotte, I heard we'll be roommates." She says excitedly. 

I frown. "What? But I'm a first-year." I say.

"Oh, don't worry, that's pretty common. First and Second years share rooms all the time. As well as Second and Third years, Third and Fourth Years..." She says, smiling. "Come on, we'll be sharing with Parvati, she's a second-year too, and a little girl named Hillary, she's a first-year."

I follow her to our room after saying goodbye to Harry, Ron and Ginny. We walk through the corridors and I smile as I walk into the room, my eyes shining. I see the two other girls, a tall one with a beautiful skin tone very similar to mine, and straight dark hair; and a short one with brown hair and porcelain skin. "Hi!" The short girl says. "I'm Hillary! First-year. You must be Charlotte and Hermione." She says excitedly.

I chuckle. "I'm Charlotte, this is Hermione." I put my hand out for a handshake, but am surprised by a tight hug. I hug her back but quickly back off. "Sorry, not a fan of touching." I say.

"Oh, sorry, I'm super excited. My dad was working today, so my mom had to bring me to the station, she's a muggle." She explains. 

Hermione smiles. "I understand, my parents are muggles too."

After a long talk about boys, classes and parties, all the girls fall asleep and I stay awake, looking at the clock as it says it's midnight. I sigh, putting my slippers on and wrapping a robe around my pyjamas, before quietly walking to the door. I hear someone moving and stop, only to realise it was Hillary snoring.

I sneak out slowly, walking through the Common Room easily as there wasn't really anyone awake by now, except for some noises I heard from the older girls.

I quickly take the stairs to the seventh floor, holding my breath as I see something moving before realizing it's just a painting, and they won't really tell anyone about me sneaking out... right? 

As I arrive at the spot Draco told me to wait for him, and I gasp as I see a door magically showing out of nowhere, I smile as I enter it. The small cosy room looks like a place to dance, a studio, and I smile as I remember my dance lessons. Suddenly, the floor starts to cover itself with grass and flowers, and I look down as they bloom right under me, smiling and quietly touching them.

I sit on the fluffy grass, my head slammed against the wall as I wait for Draco.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

After thirty minutes, I sigh. He's not coming, I should've known that. 

However, as I stand up, ready to leave, the door opens again, and a smile creeps on my face as I see Draco coming in.

That is, until my smile drops to the floor. 

By his side, stands a pale, tall girl with a round nose and red small lips, her face kinda reminds me of a dog. She has a smirk on her lips and her hand tightly holding Draco's, which makes my heart drop beneath the ground.

I don't walk close to them, instead deciding to stand still, not moving until he lets go of her hand and walks to me, his face emotionless. "I believe that's yours." He hands me my small red book. 

"Who is she?" I ask, grabbing the book. 

The girl looks at Draco with her eyebrows raised. "That's Pansy, she's my girlfriend." 

I control myself not to burn to the ground. "Oh, that's nice." I say. "Didn't know you had a girlfriend. Nice to meet you." I say looking at her, my nails digging into the notebook. "Thanks for giving it back."

"Thanks for letting me borrow it, you have some nice... notes." He says, his lips over pronouncing the word notes. I nod. 

"You should go now." Pansy says. "We want to be alone." She smirks.

''Sure, goodbye." I say to Draco, quickly walking away from them.

I try to control the tears as I walk back to my Common Room, muttering 'Wattlebird' and quickly walking to my room, glad that I wasn't caught.

As I walk in, I slowly walk to my bed, taking off my robe and slippers and laying on the bed, the book tightly pressed on my chest. Nice notes. He said I have nice notes. Why would he say that? He couldn've said he liked the story, but instead he said notes. 

I frown as I open the book, looking through the pages until where I stopped writing, nothing. Then I look at the last page, and my heart beats so fast I'm certain a heart attack must be on its way.   
  
_I hope you don't hate me as much as I think you do. I'm sorry for being an idiot, hope we can still be friends.  
Love, DM._


	5. Notes and Clothes

Waking up is always hard. The sun comes through your window, warming everything up as you lie cosily in your bed.

But, unfortunately, it's not like that for everyone.

"Good Morning, guys!" Hillary says excitedly as she gets up, opening all the windows to make sure we listen to the rain outside. It should be sunny and warm, why isn't it sunny and warm? "Does anyone feel like getting breakfast with me?"

I sigh, she's just a young girl trying to make friends. And, honestly, aren't we all? "I do." I force a smile. "Just need to take a shower." I glance at the clock. Half-past seven. 

She nods. "Cool, I'll wait here." 

I gather some clothes, and a bag with my shampoo and conditioner, soap and a towel.

Every dorm is filled with basic necessities, so, obviously, all dorms must have their own bathrooms, and, wow, they're amazing. I'm pretty sure this bathroom is the size of my room at home! 

I take my time on the tub, the bubbles making me a little happier, that is, until I remember Draco... What am I gonna do about that? There's no way we can meet without Ron or the others telling our parents, but there's nothing I want more than to talk to him, which is ridiculous since he's just an idiotic boy, with a secret pug-faced girlfriend. But he apologized... Well, technically, he did... And he said he wants us to be friends! Well, he wrote... But still, should I give him a chance? I wish I could talk to someone about it, but there's no way I'm telling Hermione, she's one of Ron's closest friends, and I can't tell Harry either, he hates Draco. Should I tell Hillary? I don't know her that well...

I bite my lip as I start dressing up. How can I trust anyone other than myself with this? What if I'm fooling myself by thinking Draco is a good person when he's in fact not one? I can't deal with that alone! I should really get a best friend...

I look at myself on the mirror as I brush my hair, thinking about everything that's happening. How can my life be a mess on my second day at Hogwarts while my oh so sweet sister already has friends and lots of love? How come she's always the popular one, and I'm the one who has to fight to look normal, to be accepted to... to look like her? I clench my jaw, trying to remember what mother always says.

'Make an extra effort to make your hair look ginger, Charlotte',

'Why can't you be nice like your sister, Charlotte?',

'Let your hair grow long and shinny like Ginny's, Charlotte'

Well, it's time to make my own decisions, to be my own person. I'm tired of living in the shadow of sweet and innocent Ginny Weasley, I can have friends without her!

I look at the girl in the mirror, closing my eyes as I let my metamorphmagic act on my hair. I can almost hear the metaphorical strands of hair falling on the ground; colourful, magical hair.

No more being a Ginny.

I chuckle as I see the result, looking at my clothes and working hard on some spells to change their colours. Great, now no one will confuse me for Ginny. I'm my own person.  
I walk out of the room with my new hair and modified clothes, Hermione's eyes almost falling off her face as she sees me. "Someone had some work done!" She chuckles.

I smile. "I did, and you know what? I couldn't be happier." 

"Well, then, that's what matters! I hope you don't mind, I told Hillary and Parvati to go on while I wait for you, would you wait for a little as I change?"

"Of course, go ahead." She walks into the bathroom.

I start making my bed, waiting for Hermione, who seems to change rather quickly considering she took a while on the train. "So... Why did you do it?" She asks as she walks out, brushing her hair.

"My looks? I just didn't want to be like my sister anymore." I shrug.

"You know I'm not talking about the looks, Charlotte. Look, we're roommates, and I know we can be best friends one day, because you seem really cool and I would really like to be your friend. But you have to be honest with me, did you sneak out to see Draco last night?"

I freeze, looking down as I grab my red notebook from under my pillow. "Please don't tell my brothers... Or Ginny... Or Harry..."

She nods. "I won't. But Charlotte... Draco is... He's an arse."

"Yes, I've noticed. But he... He was different with me, Hermione. When we met, before he knew who I was, he was so gentle, so amazingly sweet... I don't even know that idiot that treated you and my family badly, I don't know that boy Ron always talks about... I know Draco, and he seems real nice."

She frowns. "What do you mean?"

I take a deep breath and blurt everything out.

"And then...." I finish. "When I opened my notebook, I found this."

"That's... Wow!" She says, looking confused. "Look, Charlotte, I see you two hit off well, but I'll tell you something, there isn't one girl in this school, myself included, who didn't dream of having Draco at least once, and he knows that. Now that he knows you're a Weasley... He might be playing you. But he might not. We cannot know for sure now, but if I can tell you something for sure is, he would never risk his reputation for anyone, and if he wants to keep seeing you even knowing who you are, then maybe he's worthy of your friendship."

I smile. "You think so?"

She nods. "Yes, but you still need to be careful... He's still, well, Draco. And he hates muggle-borns and everyone that's not like him, so if he really wants to be your friend, you'll have to do it in secret."

"How the hell am I supposed to tell him I want to be his friend and meet him in secret if I can't talk to him, to begin with?"

"If he really wants your friendship, then he'll find a way to come to you. Don't go around chasing him, don't play the game."

I nod. "Hermione, you're a blessing in my life!"

"Now, come on, let's see how Draco reacts to your look."

I roll my eyes. "It's not like that, Mione!" 

"Yet." She chuckles. 

"I won't be one of those people who chase others around, I promise you that."

"You see? That's why I like you!"

The Great Hall is impressively crowded at half-past eight! There are so many kids running around and laughing with their friends, is hard not to get lost. I happily chat with Hermione, glancing at a few people as we walk in. My sister, obviously, already made lots of friends, but she still looks shocked (and maybe a little jealous?) when she sees me walking in, sitting next to Harry and joining their conversation about Chess. Well, Ron is just ranting about chess, Harry looks kinda annoyed.

"Hi, guys." I yawn.

Harry looks down at me, he smiles. "Hey, Good Morning. You uh, you look pretty.;.." He blushes.

"Where did you get these clothes? What did you do to your hair and since when do you wear makeup?" Ron frowns.

"I believe the answer to those questions are: a) I made them, b) I shortened it, duh and c) since today. Do you have a problem with that, brother?" 

Ron rolls his eyes. "I just don't like people looking at you, especially boys."

"Well, it is a shame that you don't get to decide what I wear or what I do, isn't it?" 

"I'll, uh, be right back." Hermione says, getting up and walking out of the Hall. 

I scan the room, looking for Draco, but I only found Pansy, his girlfriend, sitting by herself at the Slytherin table.

A few moments later, there he is, dressed in a black pair of pants and a grey shirt, biting into a green apple. His eyes lock with mine for a second, before he smiles at Pansy.

A few minutes later, Hermione comes in, walks to me and sits beside me. She hands me a package with a green apple and I frown. "I know you like them." She shrugs.

I open the package and take the apple, preparing to thank her, but tell her I prefer the red ones, when I see a small piece of parchment in the package. I look at Hermione and, suddenly, I realize. Green apple. 

Hermione smiles knowingly, and nods slowly, focusing on her food. I open the note.

' _Can you meet me at the Library after lunch? I'll be at the section where candy, glasses and paper can be found. And, by the way, you look beautiful with your hair short.  
Love, DM'_


	6. Rose

The corridors were crowded.

Of course, being Hogwarts automatically made the corridors crowded. Especially on our first off day.

There were tons of kids walking around, running, talking, playing... And I didn't really know what to do. 

I already had the answer to the riddle, of course, it was an easy one. Candy, Glasses, Paper: The dictionary section. But that wasn't the reason my mind was troubled, I didn't know what to do about Draco's request. Should I risk it all and go meet him, or lose the chance to find out what is it that he really wants?

I bite my lip, barely looking at the pages of the book before me. I picked a random book at the Library after breakfast, so that I had a reason to go there later. Pride and Prejudice, by muggle author Jane Austen. I've already read that book so many times, and I have my own copy, but it was something to get my mind off the decision I had to make.

According to the clock in my bag, I had about ten minutes. Ten minutes of effortlessly turning the pages of a book I'm not slightly interested on. Ten minutes of agonizing over friendship or family. Ten minutes that could change my school year and probably get me in a lot of trouble. 

Nice. 

How does one manage to get into that situation on their second day at Hogwarts? Must be a new record. 

"Hey, there." I hear a sweet voice saying, and a large shadow sits beside me. 

"Hey, 'Mione." I smile at the messy-haired girl.

She runs her eyes through the big yard, we're sitting right in front of the corridor that leads to the Great Hall, where we'll have our lunch in about six minutes. "So... What was written on the parchment? You ran off so quickly I didn't even get a chance to ask." 

"He wants to meet me at the Library after lunch." 

"And are you going to meet him?" Oh, good. I forgot Hermione is smarter than my brothers and is capable of realizing who I'm talking about.

Well, 'Mione, now that you asked you basically force me to give you a direct and certain answer. "I don't know." But I don't do direct and certain. 

"You have about six minutes until we go to lunch so..." She shrugs. Thanks for the obvious, Sherlock. 

"Yes." I sigh. "I'm aware of that."

"Sorry... Didn't mean the make you more nervous." She lightly scratches her head.

"It's fine." I shrug. "I'm not really that good at making decisions, but I figured out, what do I have to lose, right? I'm sure things can't get worse, after all, Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. The only thing that can happen is a huge embarrassment, and I can totally recover from that."

"That's the spirit! Now, come on, let's get some food into your stomach, hope you're not too nervous to eat."

"I never am." We chuckle. 

The Great Hall always seems to be exploding with all kinds of noises, and today was no exception.

As it is lunchtime, the Hall is crowded with children of all ages, their conversations creating a mist of noise that flies over our heads. And that, mixed with the sound of forks, spoons and knives, creates the perfect kind of atmosphere for my head to get a distraction from what's about to happen.

I sit next to Hermine, my left foot nervously tapping on the floor as I cut my chicken and lazily stuff my mouth with the perfectly grilled meat.

My eyes drift to Draco more than once, trying to find anything that confirms my risky need to see him, but I get nothing. When he's not eating, he's chatting with his friends or Pansy, and his eyes never leave the Slytherin table. 

"Charlotte?" I quickly turn my head in the direction of the voice who called me, afraid of being caught staring at the silver and green table. 

"Yes, Harry?" I smile, trying not to act too nervously. 

"A bunch of us are going to the Lake after lunch, just to hang out. Would you like to come?" His hands nervously play with his napkin. 

I shyly bite my lip. "I would love to, but I was actually going to get a book in the Library after lunch. How about I just meet you guys later?" 

"Yeah, that'd be great." He smiles. 

"I'd love to go." Ginny says, oblivious to the young boy trying desperately to talk to her. Pretty sure his name is Daniel... No, Dean. Yeah, definitely Dean.

"We're leaving just after lunch, you can come." Harry says, finishing his food slowly and causing Ginny to smile so hard I'm sure her mouth's gonna stay that way forever. 

I take another quick glance at the Slytherin table but am surprised to find out that Draco's no longer there. A small smile threatens to creep on my lips as I finish my pie, taking my time to avoid raising suspicions. 

"Well, I'm on my way, guys. I'll see you later, 'kay?" I say, grabbing my bag before slowly walking out.

I try to restrain myself to walking at a normal pace in the hallways, partly because there are some professors there and I don't want them to yell at me, but mostly because I wouldn't want anyone to follow my excitement and find out who I'm meeting with, and, honestly, part of the reason why I'm even doing this is because I know I can't. I know is forbidden, I know my family would hate me, and that just makes it one hundred per cent more exciting.

As I enter the library, the librarian glances at me for a second and smiles, waving and asking me for my name. I approach her and say it, then ask about the dictionary section.

She points at an isolated corner and I thank her, soon realizing why Draco wanted to meet me there. It's covered in books from the floor to the ceiling, and when you walk by it you don't even realize there's a way to enter the section, that's how well hidden the spot was. 

I walk into the section, my heart skipping a beat as I see Draco standing there, holding an old dictionary. 

"Draco?" I say, more like a whisper to myself. I guess it's hard to believe that he actually showed up.

He slowly turns around and I see a single red rose on his hands, and a shy smile on his lips. He looks exposed, vulnerable, and I know that's exactly how he feels. 'What would his father say?' he must be thinking. 

I walk a few steps, to end the space between us, and his hand slowly brushed on my face, tucking my hair behind my ear as he hands me the rose.

"I'm so glad you came."


End file.
